Click on the Apply Now link above to complete an early childhood application. You may choose from 1 to 3 schools. You must rank your choices (1,2,3) in the order of your preference. Once you’ve logged in to your dashboard and accepted a seat at one of your preferred sites, your child’s application will be withdrawn from your lower-ranked sites but will remain on the wait list for any higher-ranked sites.

3

Check your email and/or dashboard for offers and wait list updates. If you have not received an email, please check your email account’s spam/junk filter. It is highly recommended that you periodically log into your account to check your dashboard for updates.

The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) helps low-income families to pay for child care while working or attending school or training. Monthly payments are based on the number of hours the parents work or attend school or training, as well as the amount charged by the child care provider, family size, and household income. Parents may apply for CCAP sites within the Jefferson Early Childhood Collaborative but parents MUST complete eligibility through the Louisiana Department of Education website to finalize enrollment.

Early Head Start provides early, continuous, intensive, and comprehensive child development and family support services to low-income infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, and their families, and pregnant women and their families. The goals of Early Head Start are:

To provide safe and developmentally enriching caregiving that promotes the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of infants and toddlers, and prepares them for future growth and development;

To support parents, both mothers and fathers, in their role as primary caregivers and teachers of their children, and families in meeting personal goals and achieving self-sufficiency across a wide variety of domains;

To mobilize communities to provide the resources and environment necessary to ensure a comprehensive, integrated array of services and support for families;

To ensure the provision of high-quality responsive services to family through the development of trained and caring staff.

The principles of Early Head Start are designed to nurture healthy attachments between parent and child (and child and caregiver), emphasize a strengths-based, relationship-centered approach to services, and encompass the full range of a family's needs from pregnancy through a child's third birthday.

EarlySteps provides services to families with infants and toddlers from birth to 36 months of age who have developmental delays or a medical condition likely to result in a developmental delay.

The Southeastern Louisiana AHEC is the System Point of Entry (SPOE) for the EarlySteps program in Jefferson Parish. EarlySteps is Louisiana's Early Intervention System under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Anyone can refer a child to the System Point of Entry if they are concerned about the child's development. There are no out-of-pocket expenses for the family for the assessment or for families with Medicaid. If early intervention supports are needed, there may be co-pay for families without Medicaid who earn greater than 300% of the poverty level. The co-pay amount varies with income. The family never has to drive to a distant office. Services are provided in the child's home or natural environment and are very family-focused.

The System Point of Entry works with the family to evaluate the child and develop services designed to improve the family's ability to guide and enhance their child's development based on the families concerns, priorities, and resources. The Intake Coordinators provide families with information so that they make decisions based on the full knowledge of choices or options available to them, and fully understand their rights, opportunities and responsibilities under federal and state laws. A written plan is developed to link the family to early intervention services (such as special instruction or speech, occupational, and physical therapy) and other needed resources.

For additional information, contact Brian Jakes at 1-866-296-0718 or 504-496-0165 or email: brian.jakes2@selahec.org

The Jeff CAP Head Start mission is accomplished by involving families in the total operation and administration of the program and supporting the growth of children, families and staff through encouragement, nurturing, education, and empowerment.

Jeff CAP Head Start is a federally funded early childhood care and education program that promotes and teaches school readiness to children age three to five from low income families, and at no cost to our families. Jeff CAP Head Start is widely recognized for its comprehensive approach to preparing children to be ready to enter kindergarten. We work with families to ensure children have the skills to smoothly transition to kindergarten. We provide high quality comprehensive child development services that are family focused including education, health, nutrition, and mental health.

LA 4 Program Funding: As Louisiana's chief preschool program, the Cecil J. Picard LA4 Early Childhood Program provides economically disadvantaged children with early childhood education during a six-hour-a-day program and before- and after-school enrichment if funding is available. Priority is given to students from economically disadvantaged families.

Title 1 Program Funding: Title I is a federal grant awarded to the school district based on the number of economically disadvantaged students. JPPSS dedicates funding for early childhood classes to students identified as eligible because they are at risk of failing to meet the State's academic achievement standards when they reach school age.

The Nonpublic School Early Childhood Development Program (NSECD) provides low-income families the opportunity to send their children to state-approved private preschools and child care centers. The program provides six hours of daily instruction and up to four hours of before- and after-school care. To qualify, families must meet the income requirement, which is 185 percent of the federal poverty level.

The JPPSS Early Childhood Special Programs serve 3-5 year olds who meet the eligibility requirements that are identified through an evaluation conducted or reviewed by Child Search, a multi-disciplinary evaluation team. A child is eligible if his/her disability meets criteria for an exceptionality specified in the Louisiana Department of Education Pupil Appraisal Handbook.

Program Options

It is the policy of Jefferson Parish Public School System, JPPSS, to serve students' needs in their Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) as expected by best practices and mandated by federal law. Four year old special education students may be enrolled in Pre-K 4 in one of two types of classes: 1) Pre-K 4 special education categorical setting or 2) Pre-K 4 general education setting with an overlay of special education services delivered within this setting. Placement in either setting is an IEP team decision. Even if you receive notice that your child may attend a specific school or is placed through the lottery at a specific school, placement could change dependent upon the IEP team decision.

Preschool Early Intervention Program

In the Preschool Early Intervention (P.E.I.) Program for three year olds with special needs, students will be instructed and supported in their natural setting (home, Head Start, private childcare, etc.) and/or in a developmentally appropriate preschool early intervention group at an assigned district school. Services in the early intervention groups will be provided through an integrated multidisciplinary team approach. Students will participate in multisensory activities to build communication and functioning in areas of daily living such as participating in music and movement, guided play, art activities, development of math and literacy readiness skills, and understanding basic concepts.

An early intervention teacher will work with students at private settings chosen by the parents that are located within Jefferson Parish. Students in these settings are voluntarily enrolled by their parents and all expenses are incurred by the parents. The early intervention teacher works directly with students in their home or preschool setting and provides modeling for caregivers. The teacher also collaborates and consults with the care-givers and/or staff in the preschool and/or home settings in making adaptations, designing learning strategies, and making modifications to the learning environment to address the special needs of a student.

Parents will be offered opportunities for parent participation throughout the year. We encourage parents to take advantage of home/school/community connections.

Classroom Placement (4 and 5 year old students) The Jefferson Parish Public School System provides classroom placement and services to identified pre-kindergarten/kindergarten students with a variety of exceptionalities ranging from mild to severe. Students with special needs are assigned to preschool/kindergarten classes or early childhood special education classes which provide lower pupil/teacher ratios and specially designed instruction to meet individual student needs.

Parents of 4 and 5 year old students may also choose to participate in the Preschool Early Intervention Program that is provided for 3 year olds as an option for services.

Title I is a federal grant awarded to the school district based on the number of economically disadvantaged students. JPPSS dedicates funding for Early Childhood classes to students identified as eligible because they are at risk of failing to meet the State's academic achievement standards when they reach school age.

Families and early care and education providers play a critical role in monitoring and celebrating children’s developmental milestones and in identifying potential developmental delays. Early detection and intervention can help insure that children get the help they need so they can thrive alongside their peers.

If you have concerns about your child's development, contact EarlySteps at 504-496-0165 or Child Search at 504-349-8677.

If I'm interested but want more information, where can I go? Call or visit the early childhood program you are interested in your child attending, or call the Jefferson Early Childhood Collaborative Office at 504-349-7696, Contact Us